Iris DeMent released "Sing the Delta" (Flariella) late last year, eight years after her previous release — "Lifeline," a collection of religious songs — and 16 years after her last album of original material.

Which is to say, DeMent is in no rush. For a time in the mid-1990s, she was a reliable savior of roots music, with a handful of warm, spare albums released in quick succession that tackled family, love and skepticism in a striking, liquid voice. Later, she sang duets with John Prine. And then she more or less went away, retreating into real life.

During a January performance at City Winery, it was clear that she was at times slipping into reverie — transcending real life, as it were — though she never let it get a full hold on her. You sense that for DeMent, singing is a release, but also a form of honest work.

"I finally got myself a new record," she said. "I had to pull a few teeth to get there." She recalled that, during her dry years, she thought to herself, "I have to figure out how to write another song or I'm gonna get really hungry."